the wind and the willows

The wind and the willows

It was 110 years ago that Kenneth Grahame wrote the first of a series of bedtime story letters to his seven-year-old son Alistair, whilst on holiday.

the wind and the willows

Although originally not intended for publication, the letters told about the riverbank adventures of the Rat, Badger, Mole and Toad - characters who are now approaching their centenary in continual print through the children's classic, The Wind in the Willows.

Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh on 8 March 1859. His father, an affluent Scottish actuary, was also a heavy drinker.

When Kenneth's mother died of scarlet fever when he was five years old his father struggled to cope, and the children were sent to live with their maternal grandmother, near the Thames in Cookham Dene, Berkshire.

This riverside setting clearly influenced much of his later work.

Kenneth became a pupil at St Edwards School in Oxford until 1875, but was dissuaded from obtaining a place at Oxford University in favour of employment in London.

He got a clerkship at the Bank of England - the profession which he remained in throughout his woof non-fiction, which were published in journals such as St. James Gazette, W. E. Henley's National Observer and The Yellow Book.

the wind and the willows Banking success

Whilst climbing the career ladder, Grahame continued writing in his spare time. The late Victorians found paganism fascinating, and his first full-length collection of stories included this theme.

the wind and the willows

The Pagan Papers was jointly published in 1894 by Elkin Matthews and John Lane, in a limited run of only 450 copies.

Look for the illustrated frontispiece by Aubrey Beardsley, with each copy now worth around £150.

This book was followed by two further collections; The Golden Age, which came out in 1895, and Dream Days, which followed in 1898, both published by John Lane.

Other collectable issues are the Bodley Head editions these books, published in 1928 and 1930 respectively, and both illustrated by the Winnie-the-Pooh artist E. H. Shepherd.

A limited edition of 250 copies signed by Shepherd was released simultaneously, with each copy now worth up to £800.

At this stage, Kenneth Grahame's writing still came second to his lucrative banking career, particularly after he became one of the youngest men ever to be made Secretary to the Bank of England in 1898.

The following year, after a short courtship, he married the rather retiring Elspeth Thompson and settled down into married life. Their only son, Alistair, was born the year after, in 1900.

the wind and the willows

Although Grahame published nothing for several years following Alistair's arrival, this changed when he was persuaded to submit for publication the story based around the characters he had created in the letters to his son.

Although the book was rejected initially, eventually Methuen decided to publish it as The Wind in the Willows in November 1908.

The first edition is bound in green cloth, with gilt titles and illustrations, and a frontispiece illustration by Graham Robertson.

the wind and the willows

The book had an estimated 100 further editions over the next 60 years, making this very first British edition an understandably rare and expensive find, currently worth £3,000 or more in today's market.

However, there are several other highly collectable editions from later years.

Of these, the rarest is the 1931 limited edition published by Bodley Head, and once again illustrated by E. H. Shepherd. Signed by both author and artist in a print run of just 275 copies, this edition is worth slightly more than even the original first edition, published over 20 years earlier.

In 1950 and 1951, Methuen also released two further editions of the book illustrated by Arthur Rackham, the latter in a limited edition of 500 copies, and both now highly sought after.

Of course, other collectables abound that feature the characters from The Wind in the Willows. Royal Doulton and Royal Albert have produced a large selection of seriesware, including porcelain figurines and plates with depictions of scenes from the book.

Indeed, since copyright expired in the early 1980s, Ratty, Mole, Badger and the eccentric Toad have generated a large range of collectables,

the wind and the willows

from Magarete Steiff limited edition toys to china pill-boxes and thimbles.

Retiring man

Following the publication of The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame finally left his position at the bank and settled down to a quiet retirement at Church Cottage in Pangbourne, Berkshire.

He published no further titles during his lifetime, although several posthumous books such as Sweet Home,Toad Goes Caravanning and Bertie's Escapade were published by Methuen in the 1940s.

Misfortune struck his retirement when, in 1918, his son Alistair was killed, aged 18, whilst studying at Oxford.

Following this tragedy, both he and Elspeth became more withdrawn, with Kenneth shunning society completely in favour of long, solitary walks along the Thames riverbank.

Kenneth Grahame died at home on 6 July 1932, and was buried at St Cross Church in Holywell, Oxfordshire.

the wind and the willows

Although not a prolific writer, his legacy lives on through his timeless story of the riverbank animals that had all of the characteristics, eccentricities and foibles of humans.

A lasting and well-loved contribution to children's literature indeed, and one that prompted A.A. Milne to write, "One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows.

The young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and if she does not like it, asks her to return his letters.